LOCATION WULIE NM
Established Series
Rev DAW-GWC
03/2016
WULIE SERIES
The Wulie series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in gypsiferous eolian sands over gypsiferous lacustrine deposits. These nearly level soils are on interdunes overlying playa steps and on playa steps. Slopes range from 0 to 5 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 8 inches and the mean annual air temperature is about 67 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-gypseous, hypergypsic, thermic Leptic Haplogypsids
TYPICAL PEDON: Wulie gypsiferous fine sandy loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted)
Ay--0 to 2 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gypsiferous fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; 17 percent clay; moderate medium platy structure; very friable, soft, slightly sticky, nonplastic; few very fine roots throughout; many very fine vesicular pores; carbonate finely disseminated, 6 percent calcium carbonate equivalent, slightly effervescent; gypsum finely disseminated, 32 percent gypsum; slightly saline, electrical conductivity 5.0 dS/m; slightly alkaline (pH 7.7); clear smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
Byy--2 to 17 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) gypsiferous loamy sand, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; 9 percent clay; weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable, soft, slightly sticky, nonplastic; few very fine roots throughout; many fine irregular pores; 10 percent, flat, angular, very strongly cemented, 2 to 150 millimeter, gypsum crystal fragments; carbonate finely disseminated, 5 percent calcium carbonate equivalent, slightly effervescent; gypsum finely disseminated and common fine irregular gypsum masses throughout, 74 percent gypsum; slightly saline, electrical conductivity 6.8 dS/m; neutral (pH 7.3); clear smooth boundary.
BCyy--17 to 36 inches; pale yellow (2.5Y 7/3) gypsiferous channery loamy sand, light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/3) moist; 5 percent clay; weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable, soft, slightly sticky, nonplastic; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 15 percent, flat, angular, very strongly cemented, 2 to 150 millimeter, gypsum crystal fragments; carbonate finely disseminated, 2 percent calcium carbonate equivalent, slightly effervescent; gypsum finely disseminated and common fine irregular gypsum masses throughout, 81 percent gypsum; slightly saline, electrical conductivity 7.6 dS/m; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); gradual smooth boundary.
Cyyz--36 to 60 inches; pale yellow (2.5Y 7/3) gypsiferous clay, light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/3) moist; 45 percent clay; massive; friable, hard, very sticky, moderately plastic; many very fine and fine irregular pores; 8 percent, flat, angular, very strongly cemented, 2 to 150 millimeter, gypsum crystal fragments; noneffervescent; gypsum finely disseminated throughout, 72 percent gypsum; salt finely disseminated throughout, moderately saline, electrical conductivity 13.5 dS/M; neutral (pH 7.1).
TYPE LOCATION: Dona Ana County, New Mexico; USGS Quad Heart of the Sands SW; approximately 13.7 miles west of the intersection of US Highway 70 and the White Sands National Monument entrance; 1,242 feet north and 621 feet west of the southeast corner of Section 3, Township 18 S, Range 5 E. Latitude: 32 degrees 46 minutes 10.30 seconds north, Longitude: 106 degrees 24 minutes 46.50 seconds west; Datum: NAD83; UTM Zone: 13, UTM Easting: 367665 meters, UTM Northing: 3626621 meters
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Typic aridic soil moisture regime. The moisture control section is usually dry all in parts more than three-fourths of the time that the soil temperature exceeds 41 degrees F. at 20 inches.
Mean annual soil temperature: 66 to 72 degrees F.
Particle-size control section (weighted average)
Clay content: 10 to 20 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent
Reaction: moderately alkaline
Gypsum content: 40 to 80 percent
Ay and Ayy horizons
Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y
Value: 6 to 9 dry, 4 to 8.5 moist
Chroma: 1 to 4, dry or moist
Texture: gypsiferous sand, gypsiferous fine sand, gypsiferous loamy sand, loamy sand, gypsiferous loamy fine sand, sandy loam, gypsiferous sandy loam, gypsiferous fine sandy loam, loam, gypsiferous loam
Clay: 0 to 18 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 8 percent
Gypsum: 15 to 90 percent
Reaction: slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline
Salinity: slightly saline
Byy and BCyy horizons
Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y
Value: 6 to 9 dry, 4 to 8.5 moist
Chroma: 1 to 4, dry or moist
Texture: gypsiferous sand, gypsiferous fine sand, gypsiferous loamy sand, gypsiferous loamy fine sand, gypsiferous fine sandy loam, gypsiferous sandy loam
Clay: 0 to 18 percent
Rock fragments: 5 to 15 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 5 percent
Gypsum: 40 to 100 percent
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline
Salinity: slightly saline
Cyyz horizon
Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y
Value: 6 to 9 dry, 5 to 8.5 moist
Chroma: 1 to 3, dry or moist
Texture: gypsiferous sandy loam, gypsiferous sandy clay loam, gypsiferous clay loam, gypsiferous sandy clay, gypsiferous clay
Clay: 15 to 50 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 5 percent
Gypsum: 40 to 100 percent
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline
Salinity: slightly saline to moderately saline
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Astrobee (NM),
Peligro (NM), and
Yesum (NM) series. Astrobee and Peligro soils are formed solely in gypsiferous eolian deposits and are found on stabilized interdunes and dunes. Yesum soils are formed in gypsiferous eolian deposits and alluvium and are on fan piedmonts, alluvial fans, and relict gypsum dunes.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Wulie soils are on playa steps, and in interdune areas overlying playa steps. Slopes range from 0 to 5 percent. These soils formed from gypsiferous eolian deposits over and gypsiferous lacustrine deposits. Elevation ranges from 3,890 to 4,050 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 8 to 12 inches. Precipitation falls mostly during the months of July through September. The mean annual air temperature is 64 to 70 degrees F. The frost-free period is 180 to 240 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These soils are
Lark (NM),
Piedrablanca (NM), and
Nasa soils. Lark soils are on semi-active dunes and do not have gypsic horizons. Piedrablanca soils are on playa steps and have greater than 35 percent rock fragments in the control section. Nasa soils are on playa steps and are moderately deep to a petrogypsic horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well to well drained; very low to negligible runoff. Water table depth ranges from 50 to 60 inches during most years.
USE AND VEGETATION: The major use is wildlife habitat, recreation, and research activities. Native vegetation is alkali sacaton, fourwing saltbush, and Torrey ephedra.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: South central New Mexico, limited to White Sands National Monument, MLRA 42. Wulie is of limited extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: White Sands National Monument, Otero County, New Mexico, 2015. Wulie is a coined name.
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizon and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle-size control section - the zone from 10 to 40 inches (Byy, BCyy, and Cyyz horizons)
Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 2 inches (Ay horizon)
Gypsic horizon - the zone from 2 to 60 inches (Byy, Bcyy, and Cyyz horizons)
Soils classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Twelfth Edition, 2014
Revised for the correlation of White Sands National Monument, New Mexico; April, 2015, NMS
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.